BARCELONA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese high school students are receiving football training in Mongat, at the outskirts of Spain's northeastern city of Barcelona.
The 25 students from the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China arrived in Spain with four teachers. They are in an exchange program, which consists of 2 hours of football training and 6 hours of classes per day.
Hamelin-Laie International School offers the classrooms, the canteen and the accommodation.
Sonia Sas, the director of the school, said that they have started exchanges with China more than 10 years ago, and Chinese students come every year as a part of exchange programs.
According to Sas, Chinese students work very hard and are very busy, but suggested that an hour a day of Spanish language and culture should be included into the program in order to take more advantage of it.
For Alexander Sukhoveev, a EUFA Pro coach and the coach of U18 team of FC Reus who trains the group of 25 Chinese players, "what's most important for these kids is to think in the right mood," he said. "We don't only play football with feet but also with our brains," the coach stressed.
Hu Jianping, former player of F.C. Beijing Guo'an, supervises the training course. He said "Spain is the best choice for China due to the similar physical conditions and similar technical styles between the two countries."
"We would like to guide (the students') football spirit and football culture to the right direction rather than teach them how to play specifically," he explained.
The children will leave for Turkey to continue their training during Christmas after a two-month stay in Spain.
